ARTICLES ABOUT WEST HARTFORD BY DATE - PAGE 5

Busy teens now have an even broader array of options through Jewish Teen Learning Connection (JTConnect) where they can explore their interests through a variety of flexible offerings. JTCentral and JTAwakenings are open to all teens in grades 8-12. Each program features 5 terms with courses that explore ideas ranging from Jewish identity, community and tradition to Judaism and the arts. Terms run between 3-8 weeks, allowing teens to work Jewish learning into their schedules. JTCentral courses meet weekly on Monday evenings at Beth El Temple in West Hartford from 7-8:40 p.m. and teens come together for JTAwakenings courses on Sunday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Emanuel Synagogue.

WEST HARTFORD — Better technology and vigilant residents have helped police crack down on burglaries this summer, Police Chief Tracey Gove said. "Crime is cyclical, especially crimes of opportunities like burglaries," Gove said. While burglaries increase during summer, Gove said police are getting better at catching those responsible. Police made 19 burglary arrests between June 1 and Aug. 5, Gove said. Three more arrests were made since Aug. 5, including two juveniles who were arrested Monday after a homeowner and her neighbor interrupted a burglary in progress and alerted police, he added.

On Sunday, Aug. 10, I witnessed an incident of road rage at the entrance to Stop & Shop on Boulevard off of Mountain Road. An older couple made a wide turn into the entrance at the same moment that a middle-aged man was exiting. The older woman driver stopped to scold the middle-aged man for driving too close to her car. The middle-aged man immediately went into a rage, yelling at her that it was she who was over the line. Foul language ensued, and obscenities flew between them. The husband of the woman got out of the car to confront the middle-aged man, standing right in his face, and even raising his fists as if to start a fight.

I want to thank The Courant for featuring the most up-to-date research about Alzheimer's disease. I read with interest the article about Alzheimer's research last week at Yale [Aug. 6, Page 1, "Drug Shows Some Hope"] It caught my eye because I will be part of the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's at Bushnell Park in Hartford on Sept. 21. It is one of six walks happening around the state in September. I am asking others to become involved in the Walk to End Alzheimer's by going to alz.org/ct and signing up. Part of the money raised at the event are used to fund critical research needed to find better ways to manage Alzheimer's and to ultimately to find a cure.

There's a lesson here in Robin Williams' death. Another tremendous talent scarred by depression and addiction issues. I lost a friend to suicide a few years ago. My friend, a gifted artist and poet, died at the age of 37. Mental illness and addiction are recurrent themes across history with actors, writers and artists. I don't know how many times Williams reached out for help. These diseases are powerful and sometimes all the help out there cannot beat them. Discussion of the signs and symptoms he experienced will never console his family and friends.

WEST HARTFORD — UConn is accepting public comment on what should be done with its Asylum Avenue campus, and some town administrators and members of the public weighed in at a meeting Tuesday. Jason Coite, environmental compliance manager for UConn, said that the meeting was the first step in the environmental impact evaluation process, which is mandated by state law. While it is required that UConn consider a "no action" option, Coite said the school does not plan to keep any active programs at the West Hartford campus when its Greater Hartford branch moves to a new Hartford location in 2017.

The celebration of life continues at The Crown Market in West Hartford, which was in its final days - hours, perhaps -- before closing in late February when a group of community-minded investors stepped in and kept the kosher store open. Jay Dollinger, the catering manager, was in an aisle with a customer when I passed through the Albany Avenue store, and the customer was overwhelmed. She had missed the near-closing, spending the winter and spring in Florida. “I've been here 39 years, I've never seen it like this,” the woman said to Dollinger.

At the heart of the word "contemplate" lies the word "temple," a place where people go to pray, reflect and give thanks. Ironically, true contemplation seems to have escaped those who purchased, razed and are in the process of replacing West Hartford's Masonic Temple (until last month located at 11 South Main St.) with - get ready for it - a 42,000 square-foot mixed-use property. Sigh. Here we go again. Over the years, many West Hartford residents and visitors who enjoy strolling through the charming town center (think old center, not Blue Back Square)

There's been a flurry of discussions about elderly drivers. Forget about that or any other age grouping. Let's get tough on distracted and impaired drivers. Current penalties are not severe enough to be deterrents. Distracted driving is just as dangerous as impaired driving. Tom Lynch, West Hartford

If you believe that complex problems have only two possible solutions or that there are only two ways of looking at a situation, then perhaps you should discourage third-party candidates from engaging in the democratic process. But if you want to have open and frank discussions about the issues and dig deeper and look more broadly at the world, then maybe you should encourage people of integrity and experience to jump into the political arena. To call Jonathan Pelto a spoiler and compare him to Ralph Nader, as letter writer John F. Murphy does [Aug.